Visitors of the Weekend: Florida, Kentucky & Louisville set to host top targets
Several college programs took advantage of the opening to the college football season last weekend with successful official visits. Most notably was Iowa State, who reeled in a commitment from 2019 Lakeland (FL) forward Luke Anderson, as we eluded to in our opening Visitors of the Weekend feature last week.
Another weekend means another recruiting opportunity for college basketball coaches all across the country. This weekend, some of the top programs in the country will host their primary targets, including Florida, Kentucky, and Louisville.
SCOTTIE LEWIS TO FLORIDA
Since joining the travel circuit with Team Rio a few years ago, teammates and close friends Scottie Lewis and Bryan Antoine have been viewed as a possible package deal in college. Well, Antoine has been the talk of the recruiting trail this week, as he made his verbal pledge to Villanova earlier in the week. Because of that, Lewis' upcoming visit to Gainesville has slipped off the radar somewhat -- and that definitely shouldn't be the case.
Mike White and the Gators have been sitting in a good spot (if not he pole position) with the athletic 6-foot-5 wing for quite some time. White and his staff have prioritized Lewis and it has paid off to this point. They get the first shot with the five-star wing this weekend.
Antoine's surprise commitment to Villanova may make this a little more interesting, but, make no mistake: Florida is in a good spot for Lewis and don't be surprised if they make a push to get things done this weekend while he is on campus.
MACKENZIE MCFATTEN TO GEORGIA SOUTHERN
As we have documented on HoopSeen.com a couple of times, McFatten made a splash this spring and summer with Team Power at our events. The Douglas (GA) Coffee High School product emerged at the Atlanta Jam and ultimately became a priority prospect for many mid-major programs in July at Best of the South.
McFatten, a 6-foot-7 power forward, will make his second official visit this weekend, as he makes the trip to in-state school Georgia Southern. The Eagles are expected to have a big weekend on tap, and we will highlight their full list of visitors tomorrow in Fastbreak Friday. Nevertheless, McFatten is an important recruit for head coach Mark Byington and his staff. They will attempt to keep the versatile forward inside the state of Georgia by wowing him this weekend.
JAMES WISEMAN TO KENTUCKY
The narrative surrounding 2019 Memphis (TN) East big man James Wiseman has centered around two schools: Kentucky and Memphis. While Wiseman and his camp have denied that notion for the longest, it's hard to imagine the five-star prospect going to anywhere other than those two schools -- even though Wiseman has tentative plans to visit Florida State, Kansas, and Vanderbilt.
Kentucky gets their shot this weekend, as John Calipari and the Wildcats will play host to Wiseman and his family. Calipari has made it known that Wiseman is and has been his top priority in the 2019 class. Dating back to last year, Wiseman was the first 2019 prospect to receive a scholarship offer from the Kentucky and assistant Joel Justus spent plenty of time tracking him in Argentina last June.
With a program of the stature like Kentucky and the unique talent of Wiseman, the five-star big man is a no-brainer candidate to be a visitor of the weekend. Will Wiseman pop this weekend? That's a long-shot, but this official visit could be a big one as it sets the tone for his recruitment.
JAELYN WITHERS TO LOUISVILLE
Kentucky isn't the only program in the Bluegrass set to host an important visitor this weekend. A few hours down the road, Louisville and new head coach Chris Mack will have 2019 forward Jaelyn Withers (pictured above) on campus this weekend.
Since an unofficial visit to campus back in June, the Cardinals have been seen as the perennial favorites for the top-100 prospect. With family nearby and the comfort with the program, many would expect Withers to pull the trigger this weekend and make his commitment official.
Withers, a lengthy forward with endless potential, was one of the most impressive players at the HoopSeen Tip-Off in early April. Whichever program ultimately lands Withers will have one of the most versatile, high-flying forwards in the 2019 class.